Monday, 5 March 2018

** Blog Tour** A Shot In The Dark by L.J. Stock

Life had never been simple for Miki Quinten. Her mom had died when she was eight, and in the aftermath of their loss, her father turned his grief into alcoholism, inadvertently converting their home into a melting pot of debauchery. Unwilling to be put into the foster system, Miki takes control of her own life and becomes invisible to almost everyone but her best friend and godmother.

It stayed that way until her junior year in high school and the sudden, unexpected crash landing of Childress High’s star defensive end, Dustin Hill, into her life. The unlikely pair are thrown together and discover they have more in common than either of them thought, and before either Miki or Dustin are prepared an unbreakable bond is formed between them. The only problem is, Dustin’s already in a relationship, and his controlling family have made it clear they want him to stay there.

Against Miki’s better judgment the two grow closer until fate’s twisted sense of humor intervenes and everything in Miki’s world is scattered, plunging her into a crisis she’s not sure she will ever recover from.

From a young age L.J. Stock was led by her imagination. From the moment she could read she fell into worlds where trees could talk and little girls could move things with their minds.

In no hurry to grow up, she found stories all around her, in the forests of Plym Bridge, the moss covered hills of Dartmoor, then, as she grew older, the wide spread city of Houston, where she currently resides and works. A constant daydreamer, she hopes that one day, her passion can become something more than just a hobby for her.

Still led by her imagination, the worlds have slowly grown from childish adventures to urban fantasies and romances. With inspirational authors such as Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, Judy Blume, John Grisham and Stephen King guiding her through her life so far, L.J. Stock has finally decided that it is time for her to go for gold and try land herself on someone else’s future list of favorites.

Putting words on paper is as essential as breathing to her, but on the rare occasions that she isn’t writing, she can be found with a video game remote in hand or curled up on the couch with her pup and a good book. Music is also such an important part of her life, it’s a wonder there isn’t a background soundtrack playing wherever she goes.

A good girl to most, a bad girl to a few, L.J. believes that every genre should be attempted and is more than likely to have tried to release three hundred series’ ranging from vampires and werewolves, to dystopian and even classic romance, before she reaches even middle age. At least, that’s the plan for now.

“The two of us must have laid there for an hour or two before I felt his hand brush over my wrist, seconds before his fingers intertwined with mine. There was nothing more to say, but the touch made us both relax, making the silence even more comfortable than it had been.”

Taking chances....Making memories....Tragic endings.....New beginnings.....A Shot in the Dark makes all these things a reality. From the moment I started reading this book, I knew my heart would be broken. What I didn’t know, was how much love and emotion LJ put into her words, causing this story to completely devastate me. But LJ made amends, and A Shot in the Dark become an epic love story. I bawled (numerous times); I walked away to regain myself; but in the end I was smiling like a fool. True love always finds a way. Sometimes the path we have to travel to find it isn’t always fair, but in the end love wins and we are that much stronger.

“I thought I’d known him, thought I could trust him, but all he’d managed to do after our time together was hurt me. I’d allowed that. I’d given him the power to do that.”

A Shot in the Dark is home to some of the best characters I have ever met. Miki, Dustin, Garret, Jen and Megan bring so much life to the story! The words that LJ uses to create each character, each scene, and each setting flows like magic. Every piece has its place, and Childress is glue that sticks them all together. The setting is everything you’d expect from a small football town, from the expectations of the players right down to the “It” girl looking for a free ride out of town.

“I knew love had the absolute power of destruction. I understood the capabilities to render you incapacitated. Love was wonderful and awful all at the same time, and I knew I wouldn’t have traded that in for the world.”

I cannot tell you enough to read this book. It has everything a great book should have. Five simple words...A Shot in the Dark...they will change the way you view life and love. It will break you and rebuild your trust. It will make you cry and make you smile. This is one book you HAVE TO read. Trust me!!

“It wasn’t going to be easy, we all knew that, but for the second time in my life, I was figuring out that the best things in life were worth the fight, and I wasn’t going to stop fighting ever again.”